Hair Colour 'facts and fiction'

1. I coloured my own hair a little bit lighter and the product I bought from the supermarket said it was a semi-permanent colour. A hairdresser has told me that the colour I used was in fact, a tint.  How come?

Any colour that lightens the hair has to contain a lightening agent, like peroxide. A semi-permanent colour WILL NOT lighten your hair, so it had to be a tint/permanent colour. Any colour that you buy in a box that requires you to mix two things together is usually a permanent tint and therefore you will get a regrowth that will need retouching as it grows out. Beware the supermarket box! 

Why not compare Scamps Hair Studio (in salon service) prices with boxed ‘do it yourself’ colours, you may be pleasantly surprised.

As an added bonus you won’t have to clean up the bathroom and dirty towels yourself!

At Scamps WE DO ALL THE MESSY STUFF FOR YOU!   

2. Sometimes, when money is a bit tight, I colour my hair at home, but the colour seems to be going darker and darker and I'm embarrassed to go and ask a hairdresser to fix it.  I haven’t changed the colour I use, so why is it a lot darker than when I started?

Unfortunately it is very difficult to touch up THE ROOT AREA ONLY when you are applying colour yourself. If you overlap the colour application it automatically goes darker, because, ‘colour on colour, darkens’. You may have also noticed what we call ‘banding’. This is when you get darker patches of colour on the mid lengths, (not a good look) and it is caused by overlapping the root application onto the previously coloured hair. This banding should only be corrected at a reputable salon because it involves removing the old colour in preparation for a colour correction service.

At Scamps we don't embarrass clients who have 'had a go' themselves. You won't be the first client who has had a disaster and you certainly won't be the last, so don't stress about it. By the way, If you saw what even some hairdessers' do to their own hair you shouldn't be embarrassed at all.  We specialise in colour correction.

3. When I have my roots touched up, why won’t some hairdressers take the colour through my ends? I pay extra for a semi colour, but why can’t they just use what is left in the bowl?

At Scamps, when we do a re-touch colour service we prefer NEVER to use the leftover colour in the bowl because everyone wants shiny, glossy, healthy hair, and by using the same tint (which still contains the ammonia and stronger peroxide) your hair would become very dull, dry, and brittle after a few applications. It will also end up being darker than your desired colour.  By using a matching semi-colour on the ends, we guarantee your hair will look as healthy and shiny as it was before you started having your hair coloured.

At Scamps Hair Studio we only use high quality professional products to ensure we always deliver the fabulous colour you deserve. 

WE CAN SAVE YOU MONEY ON YOUR COLOUR SERVICES!

At Scamps we offer our clients partial services, which means that we encourage clients to have a mini ‘camouflage colour’ service in between their usual full colour service. This consists of only colouring what is actually visible, e.g. the hairline and parting area. This greatly reduces the cost for you, but at the same time your colour looks good all the time without that big ugly regrowth showing.

Why pay for a full colour service if you don’t need it?

4. Now I’m getting older I feel my colour is too dark for me and I want to change my tint to a lighter colour. Do I need to have my old colour stripped out?

The big question is how dark is too dark?

OPTION 1

If your hair is very dark and you want it quite a lot lighter, then stripping (which is another word for bleaching) may be the only option because applying a lighter tint won’t work, without removing the old darker colour first. Stripping or colour removal can (if not done correctly) be quite damaging, so you will have to seek good professional advice before you proceed with this option BUT THE UP SIDE OF STRIPPING IS, after the dark colour is removed/lightened, we can re-colour your hair to the desired shade on the same day.  An absolute must with this option, is to have a high quality treatment service to replace as much protein (for strength) and moisture (for gloss and shine) that would have been removed during the colour correction process.

At Scamps we would assess the condition of your hair before proceeding with any of the colour correction options available

OPTION 2

If your existing colour is only a little bit too dark, then we could choose to use a shade lighter on the REGROWTH AREA ONLY, however, your mid lengths and ends colour will still appear slightly darker for a time, but gradually when the ends fade it will match up a lot better. Please be aware that we wouldn’t use the new lighter colour to try to match the ends colour, because remember ‘colour on colour darkens’ and even though it’s a lighter shade, when used over the top of another existing colour, it will still go darker.

OPTION 3 (Your ideal choice)

Unless your hair is very dark and you want it a lot lighter we would highly recommend option two, BUT ADD AN EXCITING TWIST. 

We would still use the slightly lighter tint (applied to the regrowth area only) AND, then we would add some foil hi-lights to the rest of the head. This will avoid the difference in colour being apparent whilst the existing ends colour fades a little lighter and would also add a lot more ‘oomph’ to your new look. By adding the foils it will make the whole colour appear a lot lighter, and therefore softening the overall result. As your hair grows, we would continue with the lighter colour on the root area only, and if you wanted to refresh your hi-lights as well, we would use the partial services option, because you wouldn’t have to do the full foil service again. This option allows you to keep your colour looking fresh and fabulous all the time, without breaking the bank!

At Scamps Hair studio we don’t colour all of your hair if it doesn’t really need it.  SAVE TIME AND MONEY!

5. I had my hair coloured at another salon and I am not happy with the results. What should I do?

Firstly advise the salon immediately of your dissatisfaction, and check what their guarantee policy is. If the work carried out was not of an acceptable professional standard, or you didn’t get what you asked for, then you have an absolute right to complain and expect some prompt action to immediately put it right. Most reputable salons should have a strong guarantee of quality and satisfaction.

At Scamps we absolutely guarantee: If you are not completely happy and we don’t deliver what we promise WE’LL DO IT AGAIN FOR FREE.

THE TRUTH ABOUT HAIR COLOURING

We often have clients come into the salon seeking help with a colour problem. Monday is the big colour correction day in most salons. Why Monday, you ask? Because weekends are the most popular time for people to have a go at ‘do it yourself hair colouring’ at home, sometimes with disastrous results. But never be embarrassed to fess up. You won’t be the first, and you certainly won’t be the last to have a go, and trust me, even professional hairdressers sometimes get it wrong too. So if you have had a do it yourself colour disaster, or, you just don’t like the result, don’t be afraid to come in and see us, we are always happy to help, and we won’t judge you harshly either, because we’ve all been there!

If however, the colour work has been done at a salon, do yourself a favour AND GO BACK! Colour services are usually the most expensive services you will have, so if you have spent your hard earned money, and got a less than satisfactory result, show them what is wrong and give them the opportunity to put it right FOR FREE!  Believe me, if the salon is worth their salt, they should want to know why you’re unhappy, and then do their best to fix it.

At Scamps we would rather face a problem 'up front'  than have an unhappy client. If a salon doesn’t offer you an iron clad guarantee, and they don’t value you as a client, then take your business to one that does. Sometimes even the best salons make mistakes (usually caused by a breakdown in communication) at Scamps, if you have a problem, we WILL fix it!

WHEN A CHANGE OF HEART/MIND AFFECTS THE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR NEW HAIRSTYLE OR COLOUR.

Unfortunately sometimes we can miss the mark a bit when we decide on a new look/colour. Your hair stylist may have even tried to talk you out of what you asked for. (Usually there is a pretty good reason why they would try). When you leave the salon happy with your chosen new style/colour, everything is rosy, UNTIL, someone, a husband, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, your kids, etc says something like ‘what have you done to your hair!’, then your heart sinks. You are now thinking, ‘the hairdresser gave me what I asked for, but maybe it wasn’t such a good idea’. Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing!

DON’T BE AFRAID, help is as near as your phone. Even though they may have given you what you asked for, if you get negative remarks you can still go back to the salon and complain, OR CAN YOU? Sadly, sometimes poor choices are made and it isn’t always fair to blame the hairdresser or the salon, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try to help. Obviously if they have performed the service in good faith, it would be unreasonable to expect a re-do at no charge whatsoever, but most reputable salons will go out of their way to make you happy at a minimum cost to you. It’s called PR, and don’t worry it’s not a hanging offence to change your mind.  

At Scamps Hair Studio we are committed to good Public Relations!

But if on the other hand the service provided was not as promised, then you have every right to expect a re-do AT NO CHARGE!

6. When I have my foils done, I hate it when it starts to grow out and I have an obvious ‘tide mark’ right in the front at the roots. How can I avoid this?

At Scamps to avoid this problem, we would leave a very fine section out (what we call, a ‘veil’) across the parting area in the front and place slightly heavier foils directly underneath it. This method leaves a small wispy amount of the un-highlighted hair out (over the top of the foiled area) so that when your hair grows the regrowth is far less obvious, because the colour showing is the same as your overall hair colour, not the hi-lighted colour. It works a treat!

7. I used to have my hair coloured all the time, but have become allergic to tints. I look and feel much older now, so what can I do to cover my greys?

Some people can have a colour service for years and years with no negative reaction, but sometimes, without warning, they get a severe allergic reaction and must discontinue their colour service. Of course if you have some grey hair it’s even more frustrating because, for some reason or other, men seem to look distinguished with some grey, but for most of us girls, we just look older than we want to.

If you’re feeling a bit like the ‘old grey mare’ (and I've been there myself) read on about how to get a new and improved YOU.

It’s all very well to talk about natural ‘Hennas’ and the like, but they don’t cover grey hair. So the perfect alternative is to have lots of heavy foils using a tint to get the coverage you want. At Scamps we would suggest mixing it up with a couple of complementing colours (two to three shades difference) to add some extra interest. They can be a mixture of hi-lights and some low lights to add some depth. The beauty of using foils is that no product comes into direct contact with the skin, so therefore, NO REACTION, you still get the ‘Wow Factor’ and your unwanted greys are camouflaged too, PROBLEM  SOLVED!

At Scamps Hair Studio we care about how you feel about your hair.

It is also important to remember that allergic reactions can disappear as quickly as they came, so it may be worth your while to occasionally ask your stylist to do a patch test to confirm your allergy status. If no redness or itchiness occurs within 48 hours, you’re good to go, and it should be safe to use your regular colour again.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have ever had an allergic reaction to colour you must get a patch/skin test EVERY TIME, before you have any ‘on scalp’ colour applications in the future. 
It is vital that you tell the hairdresser about any previous allergic reactions to chemical services you may have had.

8. I have my hair bleached regularly, and after a while my ends often go very brassy looking, particularly in summer. What can I do to avoid this?

When you have your hair bleached it removes all the natural brown pigment and leaves you with a warm undertone. Sometimes the hair can look a bit gold, or even orange. In summer because of the extra exposure to UV light, the ends will often appear to be brassier at that time of year. I am assuming you have a toner after your bleach, and this should be done with a semi-colour which usually lasts longer than a tint on bleached hair and of course does a lot less damage. The problem with bleached hair is that it is usually very porous, and the colour (toner) doesn’t hold as well.

To solve your problem you could have your toner done more often, or you could purchase a semi-colour from the salon to do it yourself at home. Make sure you get professional salon advice before you even think about buying a home colour, because you don’t want to end up with a tint, (instead of a semi) that will be far  too damaging to your already fragile beached hair.

THE IDEAL SOLUTION

At Scamps we would recommend you to use one of the really great coloured shampoos on the market. If your hair is brassy looking (gold) you will need a silver/purple shampoo to tone down and neutralise the excessive gold colour. If you use a coloured shampoo I suggest you also buy a leave-in conditioner to avoid rinsing out too much of the colour residue from the shampoo you have just done. There are also several silver/purple conditioners you can use too, to finish off, if you prefer to rinse your conditioner out.

PLEASE NOTE: There are also many other various coloured shampoos just right for brunettes and redheads, to brighten up your faded ends.

At Scamps Hair Studio we use and recommend SP, Bio-Touch and PPS coloured shampoos.

9. I have a colour regularly and straighten my unruly hair every day. I love my colour and I use the good shampoo and conditioner the hairdresser recommended, but my colour still fades too quickly. Why is that happening?

I think the secret lies in your statement re, you straighten your hair every day. You say you use the shampoo and conditioner recommended to you but you don’t mention any styling products. Most importantly I am talking about heat protection products that MUST BE USED before straightening your hair with irons. If you don’t use a HEAT PROTECTION PRODUCT (the name says it all) you are virtually cooking your hair every time you use them.

Colour will only last well, with minimum fading, if your hair is in good condition. If it becomes damaged by too many chemical services or heat stress, (cooking it) the colour won’t hold as well, and every time you shampoo a bit more of that great colour you just had done, washes down the sink. If you use a heat protection product EVERY TIME, then the hair will remain healthy, and we’ll guarantee your colour won’t fade so fast.

Our hairdressing salons at Aberfoyle Park and Morphett Vale both stock several leading professional brands of specific heat protection products, so next time you visit, ask your stylist about the products that would be just right for you. We also stock several leading brands (including the famous GHD) of straightening irons and we have mini travel irons too. Check us out!

10. I have my hair coloured regularly and I’m trying to reduce the cost. The hairdresser always recommends doing a treatment after, but is that absolutely necessary.

If you need to economise on your colour service I would suggest you try our ‘partial services’ which are guaranteed to save you heaps!

DO NOT economise on your ‘after colour’ treatment!

LET ME EXPLAIN THE REASON WHY

I don’t want to bore you with technical jargon, so I’ll keep it to a minimum. When you have a tint or hi-lights it is necessary to break down the structure of the outside layer of the hair (the cuticle layer) so the colour can penetrate. After the process time is up we must remove the product at the basin.

Now here is where it gets interesting.

The normal cuticle layer is clear so it allows the colour underneath to show through. This layer looks like a lot of tightly packed fish scales all overlapping each other. On healthy hair this layer lies down nice and flat and smooth, BUT, when we want to change your hair colour we have to rough it up a bit (open up that fish scale layer) to get the colour to go in.

Herein lies the problem (and the solution).

If we don’t use a specific ‘colour saver’ treatment after we take the colour off, the normally smooth flat outside layer (the fish scales again) remains open and roughed up. If we don’t ‘close it down’ using the treatment to lock in the colour and make it smooth and tight again, then your lovely new colour will simply wash away a bit more, every time you shampoo. You can now see why this is false economy, so stick with the treatment!

At Scamps we always, always, recommend a ‘colour saver’ treatment, because it saves you money in the long run, so maybe we should call it 'money saver treatment' (Ha, ha, only joking, but I'm sure you get my meaning)

11. My hair is nice and shiny and healthy. I recently had my hair foiled at a salon, but it didn’t take. The hairdresser blamed the popular supermarket brand shampoo and conditioner I was using. Is that true?

Very possibly it is.
Let me explain why. When you have your hair coloured the product needs to penetrate into the second layer known as the cortex. (Sorry about the techno speak) but if you have been using a shampoo, conditioner, or styling product  that contains SILICONE, it can coat the hair, (much like a veneer on timber) and sometimes it can be almost impossible to break it down, so therefore your colour won't 'take'  Many products, including exclusive salon only products, contain silicone.
GOOD SILICONE VERSUS BAD SILICONE
In the hairdressing industry we talk about ‘good silicone’ and ‘bad silicone’ The only difference is the quality and price a manufacturer would pay for the silicone which is added to their product to give your hair a lovely shine. With continued use the cheaper 'bad silicones' tend to build up significantly on the hair and whilst it will make your hair appear very shiny and healthy, all it is really doing is creating a hard clear shiny (veneer) coating on the hair. Reputable salons only use and sell products that contain ‘good silicone’.

Many moons ago (when manufacturers first started adding silicone to their products) we also had this happen to a few of our colour clients. We had spent ages doing the foils only to find when we took the colour off, nothing had happened. Very frustrating for the client and very costly for us because obviously we couldn’t charge the client for the product, or our time, when the results were absolutely ZERO!   

To overcome this problem, now we always ensure a full product history is obtained before we undertake any chemical service. If we discover a  client has been using a high 'bad' silicone-based product at home, we take the appropriate action to remove the excess build up from the hair before we proceed with the service. If you go to a hairdressing salon and they seem to be asking too many questions, you may be tempted to think 'what are they trying to sell me'  Please don't be concerned, because they are just trying to avoid expensive re-do's because the colour hasn't turned out as expected, and 'prevention is better than cure'

RESULT: With good communication, you won't be disappointed.

Our salons at Aberfoyle Park and Morphett Vale stock a wide range of high quality (with and without the ‘good silicone’) products to ensure you get the shiny healthy hair you want.  

PS Always ensure you buy a good quality shampoo and conditioner especially designed for 'coloured hair 'because if it is too high in detergent content it could strip your expensive colour out and cost you more money in the long run. 

PPS The SP (System Professional) shampoos and conditoners for 'coloured hair' also have different products for fine, medium and course hair so you're sure to find the one that's just right for you. Our stylists are all fully trained in the SP specialty range of products.

If you have any other hair colouring colour issues that are not covered here, send us an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   and we’ll do our best to help you.